During the pandemic, many rental car companies sold off a substantial number of their cars. And their fleet size shrunk. The law of supply and demand means higher prices as travel demand increases.

But there are a number of ways to lower the cost of your rental car. First, avoid renting at an airport. Airports charge rental companies high rents, and thus the rental car rates tend to be about 20% higher.

Check rates at local locations, and many of them offer free shuttle rides to and from the airport.

And in most cases, you can return the car to the airport at no additional cost.

And if you book the car online, compare the same models and brands on sites like kayak.com, hopper.com and priceline.com. Prices can vary as much as 15%.